Sorry folks... another newbie wanting to buy

[patcopaul]

Good evening,
I' sure you folks have seen way too many of these posts but...
I'm a prospective buyer of a side-by-side utv. I am currently leaning toward a Yamaha Rhino but I could be easily swayed but good advise.
I have a lot questions.
I live on 13 hilly acres of a mostly beech, poplar and hickory woods. About an acre is cleared for my home. It is fairly heavily landscaped. I do all the landscaping and maintenance to the woods and the home site. This is where the utv will be used.
Is a 700 cc engine overkill. I like a little sport but the unit will be used mostly for work. Moving fire wood, spraying, and moving plant material, that kind of thing. A 700cc engine can be made to have a bunch of power. Would a smaller model work better on such a small lot. Would the extra power be wasted?
Does the Rhinos' bed dump? Is that something that I should even consider? It may be that folks that have them have found that they don't really use them.
The Mule doesn't have independent rear suspension. Is independent suspension really that important? Again, I like a little sport so consider that should you choose to respond to this post.
All the new models have electronic fuel injection. No way am I fixing injectors so should I look for an older model with a carb that I could rebuild should I have to. It seems to me that a carborated engine would be much easier to keep running well.
I'm told that I can get a substantial discount an a 2011 Rhino vs. a 2012 model even thought I can't find any improvements to to 2012 model. Is that so or is the salesman blowing smoke.
Is there anything else that long time users could tell me to help me make a wise choice. Recommend different makes, engine sizes or anything else you think helpful.
Thanks!

 

[cowpatty]

The 450 Rhino will save you thousands and will likely have as much bottom end grunt tas the 700. The bed does dump on a Rhino and it comes with a 2" receiver hitch. Good luck with your new toy/tool

 

[Jimbrown]

If you want to play Ricky racer buy a Rihno or Razor if you want a tool that will work hard for 10 years buy a mule.

I have a 3010 mule. It will carry 6 people and all the stuff I can cram in the bed. It won't run 50mph or climb 90% grades. It will carry 30 T post and and a mile of barbed wire and all the tools to build fence. Plus water and lunch.

it is built strong. The last one I had my Dadd bought 30 years ago and was still running when he gave it away because he was 86 yrs old and dying.

Well it will climb a 90% grade thats only 45 degrees but it won't climb straight up.

 

[BoneDigger]

If your yard is highly manicured you do not want the Yamaha. The rear axle is locked so both wheels pull. It'll tear up that grass in a heartbeat.

The Mule and the Ranger both have an unlocking rear differential allowing a "turf mode" that won't tear up the lawn.

It looks like you want something sporty and the Ranger is more sporty than the Mule. They will both handle hills and towing/hauling just fine, but the Ranger has better suspension and EFI. Some Mules have EFI but none have the Ranger's suspension.

Where the Mule wins is in overall reliability and durability. Lots of plastic on the Ranger. The Ranger is also fairly expensive.

Todd

 

[earljr59]

The kawasaki mule is bullet proof.Easy to get in and out of if thats important. Only thing is they wont go fast..if you want to ride with the rhinos and razors get get a rhino or razor. You will want the speed and better suspension. As the other posters have said the ranger and mule are great for working,hunting and cruising the property.No matter what the salesman tells you,you can chip them etc. but they wont run with the rhino or razor.And this isnt a brand loyalty issue at all because all of these machines are excellant,just built with various uses in mind. If used as the designers intended they each will perform flawlessly for many hours and years.

 

[beretta96man]

Good evening,
I' sure you folks have seen way too many of these posts but...
I'm a prospective buyer of a side-by-side utv. I am currently leaning toward a Yamaha Rhino but I could be easily swayed but good advise.
I have a lot questions.
I live on 13 hilly acres of a mostly beech, poplar and hickory woods. About an acre is cleared for my home. It is fairly heavily landscaped. I do all the landscaping and maintenance to the woods and the home site. This is where the utv will be used.
Is a 700 cc engine overkill. I like a little sport but the unit will be used mostly for work. Moving fire wood, spraying, and moving plant material, that kind of thing. A 700cc engine can be made to have a bunch of power. Would a smaller model work better on such a small lot. Would the extra power be wasted?
Does the Rhinos' bed dump? Is that something that I should even consider? It may be that folks that have them have found that they don't really use them.
The Mule doesn't have independent rear suspension. Is independent suspension really that important? Again, I like a little sport so consider that should you choose to respond to this post.
All the new models have electronic fuel injection. No way am I fixing injectors so should I look for an older model with a carb that I could rebuild should I have to. It seems to me that a carborated engine would be much easier to keep running well.
I'm told that I can get a substantial discount an a 2011 Rhino vs. a 2012 model even thought I can't find any improvements to to 2012 model. Is that so or is the salesman blowing smoke.
Is there anything else that long time users could tell me to help me make a wise choice. Recommend different makes, engine sizes or anything else you think helpful.
Thanks!

I bought my RTV 500 after driving the rhino and the ranger. I like to hunt and fish but mostly wanted a work vehicle. I found that they are two different machine classes and a guy almost needs both if he wants to work and play:laughing:
That said, if you want to do both I'd say look at the ranger over the rhino. I have owned yamaha in the past and loved the quality but when I drove the rhino I couldn't believe how cheap it felt for the $$. If real work is what you intend then go mule for sure. Don't buy the kubota as the hydro on hills will upset you if you like to go fast.
All retail sales discount year end products to get the new year on their lots. Go with the deep discount if you can. I got 0% for 60m on my kubota end of year 2010

 

[MattJ]

I just bought a ranger 400 recently for work and play and have loved it. I wanted something that could work but also have fun and navigate through the woods. The bigger ones chew a lot of gas, are harder to trailer or move in a truck, and can't navigate the woods. The RTV and Deere Gator drove like a tank. The polaris is easy to drive, has tons of power even for a 400, is easy on gas consumption, has the unlocking rear which is very easy on the lawn, and is quite a bit chepaer than the rest so it was my choice. My only comment was the noise of it. The exhaust was a bit loud on all of them so I bought a hushpower add on muffler from flowmaster and it tamed it a ton for less than $200. The top installed by the dealer made some rattling and needed adjusting, and the bed has some vibration at ilde so I added some padding under the bed rests.

Overall I've liked it and its fun after a hard days work to wind it up to 40-50 mph and cool off!

- Matt

 

[nybirdman]

I purchased a 2006 450cc Rhino new.It now has 3000+miles on it trouble free.
Mine is used on my preserve almost daily.Bed is rated for 400lbs,tow 1200 lbs same as the 660/700.Top speed is 32mph vs 34 for the 700.I had a 660 grizzly;it was a good machine but didn't like the mileage.I don;'t know if Yamaha still offers the 450 motor in new machines.
We currently have in the family.
450 Rhino 3000 miles
660 Grizzly(2) one traded one with 2800miles
450 Grizzly
750 Kawasaki Teryx
400Kawasaki Prairie(2)with 3000 miles ea.
825 Gator(new big $)
700 Arctic Cats(2)
Only one with a problem was one of the Arctic Cats blew a motor(mis-used)
tried to use it like a tractor.The newer Rhinos are a little wider than mine.There is supposed to be a new design in the works.I hope they offer the 550 Fuel injected motor in the new ones;that would be perfect.

 

[patcopaul]

Thanks to all for your input. Really, it was better than I anticipated.

Given what I read I intend to give the Mule a hard look. I might miss the sportiness of the Rhino but a locked rear axle is a deal breaker. I particularly liked the "bullet proof" part. The one question that I have about the Mule is the lack of suspension travel. It's not like I'm going to be rock climbing, I'm in the Chesapeake Bay region, we don't have rocks, but I think the Mule has something like 3"s of travel. Is that enough in the woods?
Thanks again!

 

[MattJ]

As I mentioned previously the Polaris can unlock the rear diff. Its been really easy on the lawn and the suspension is worlds better than a mule.